Wow. With that many miles you can go F.

I have no partner to worry about so for me traveling solo is the norm and something I really enjoy. You set your own schedule and don't have to check in with anyone else...no compromises necessary. A lot depends on your relationship in general. Does she have things she likes to do that don't include you? If you are away for a couple of weeks will she resent that you aren't around? Or is she also independent?

I have to agree with those who say dragging some one along who doesn't want to travel is a bad idea. It will likely just bring you both down.

As for where to go....it's a big world out there. Make a list of places you want to see. I think many of us do that sort of thing. My first ever trip abroad as an adult was a week in Australia a couple of years out of college. QANTAS Vacations had a special deal that I jumped at. Australia is a place I always wanted to go. I had an awesome time. Even managed to get a front row seat at an Aussie Rules match which was great fun.

You can go pretty much anywhere, at least in the developed world, these days without too much worry. You will be able to communicate and get around. A lot depends on the sorts of things you like to do. Do you want a warm weather beach destination? Do you want ancient civilization? Ultramodern cities? Cathedrals and museums? Mountains? Fishing? Small villages? Lots of people around? Nightlife?

As someone who happily travels solo, leave your wife at home - you'll be happy travelling, she'll be comfortable at home!

As for first trip, my first was to France with a side trip to London.

Having done some travelling since then and if asked to recommend, I'd say go to Scotland. You can spend a few days in London if you fly through LHR to see some of the sights there, then head up north. It's gorgeous, friendly, and fun to explore.

Where exactly you end up would depend on your tastes - the major cities are great, and the small communities are just as fun. I especially loved the Orkney Islands. Plus hey, distillery tours? Oh yes please!

As a Flyertalker, how did you end up marrying someone who has no desire visit other countries?

One technique I've used for solo travel abroad is to sign up for a 1-week language course somewhere. Learning a foreign language connects me to the culture and the history of the city, going to classes gives me structure to my day (i.e., makes me get out of bed in the morning) while still leaving me with time to sightsee in the afternoon, and provides a network of people (classmates, events organized by the school) with whom I can sightsee or go out for meals. Not to mention the fact that learning a language (even just a week's worth of classes) enhances your ability to function abroad - and makes a good impression with your existing (and future) employers.

If I were you, I'd visit either Mexico or Spain and combine your trip with a week's worth of Spanish classes. You can find a good combination of language schools + sightseeing + liveliness in places like Madrid and Barcelona (Spain) and Guanajuato and Oaxaca (Mexico).

The first country I visited was Cuba in 1970.

In the next 40 years I have visited 40+ countries, some dozens of times, but never got the opportunity to return.

For my wife her first abroad was New Zealand in 1984.

Can't really say there are some favorites for me but hers are Greece, Switzerland, Germany and Argentina

I would suggest not to give up on your wife if she is willing to try an int'l trip, however reluctantly. Her first trip might spark some courage, and if not in the future she will beg you to go w/o her .

Try a place that doesn't use up too many miles (they end up being wasted if your wife hates the trip) and doesn't involve very long flights. I suggest France, Spain, Ireland, maybe a few of days in England. Nothing TOO exotic (I consider Turkey, Greece in this category - travel newbies aren't comfortable w/vendors coming up to them, general chaos, etc.). She might be made uncomfortable by the poverty of Mexico, Peru, etc., plus she has to drink bottled water, no ice, etc.

Thank all you very much! I'm still reading through all your great stores and ideas and trying to see where might be first and if I can convince her to want to go along.

Some of the comments on her feelings towards intl travel are spot on LOL!

I'm suprised it hasn't been mentioned yet, but the Caribbean is a great starter place for international travel. The culture there is probably even more different than US/Canada is from the UK, and it's sunny and relaxing. I'd suggest maybe somewhere slightly of the beaten path down there, that's owned by a non-English speaking country. Maybe St. Maarten, Martinique or something like that.

The first time I went abroad was in 1990 when my family and I went to Paris and Israel. We were booked on TWA and the travel agent forgot to assign seats and booked us in the wrong booking code. She booked us as a full fare Y and charged us for a lower fare code or something along those lines So as a result we got upgraded to First Class for the entire trip on TWA's 747.

From then on I enjoyed going abroad. Its always fun getting your passport in the mail. I just renewed my passport and it came with the new RFID tag. Smells so fresh(:

London is totally sweet. I second, third and fourth all the UK suggestions. ^ There's loads of threads here on things to do, and I'd be happy to give you some more details on what I did there if you think that might come in handy. (I went with three friends in March, so my experience is semi-recent.) Whatever you do, stop at West Cornwall Pasty Co. at least once - cheap, delicious, and extremely filling.

Canada's also been very good to me. Do you like to fish? Canada's got big northern pike - the reason my dad spends almost the entire summer there now that he's retired.

I would also pick England as a first trip. There are enough things similar to the US that it's not that much of a culture shock. If you don't like a big city, you can take trips outside of London fairly easily.
My first trip was in 1968 and at that time an economy seat was plenty of room for me. I went alone but stayed with a friend. Since then I was in Scotland several times while in the Navy and managed to get a couple days off to go to London. This was in the mid- 70s. My wife and I have managed to get to London almost every year since about 1999. (Thanks MP and HHonors!)

Nobody's saying Italy. Not Rome but smaller places like Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, or driving through Tuscany, which are kinder and gentler than the big cities. Everybody has some level of familiarity with Italian food and language and a lot of Italians have some English, so these would be easy places to eat, enjoy and get around while still being truly the experience of a foreign country.

I went to Canada and Mexico when I was in high school. My honeymoon was in the Bahamas (in the hotel featured in Thunderball--no longer exists; but then neither does my marriage).

Next Jamaica and Mexico again. Then lots of St. Barts and the Caymans (diving). First "real" trip abroad was to Kenya and Tanzania with a stop over in Paris. Then India. Then Nicaragua (a lot) and Costa Rica. I think. I'm at 76 countries and counting. I got a slow start, but I'm trying to catch up.

I'd second the suggestions to maybe give some thought to what your wife's interests are in general. Perhaps building on that would help find a destination that would interest her enough to open her mind.

Do you and your wife travel much domestically? If so, consider the types of trips that interest her (beaches, cities, etc) as a starting point. If you don't vacation together much at all - if she's not into travel to begin with - not sure there's a lot of hope. I'd agree with suggestions of the UK, Caribbean, or even some Canadian destinations if that would help encourage her to get her feet wet.

My first time out of the country was at 16, to Spain and France for a high school trip. I was instantly in love with the idea of traveling the world the moment we got off the plane. Unfortunately it took until a few years ago to be able to really get to more places. Hard to put myself in the place of someone like your wife, since I would go pretty much anywhere and everywhere. Though as I'm quite smitten with Paris, I always put that out there as a suggestion.

Please keep us posted as to how things go, and good luck!

(btw it's been fun reading everyone's stories, too)

That is sad indeed, when she has no desire at all to leave the US. There is more to the world than the United States.

I think Montreal could be a place worth visiting. I call it Paris-light. If you took French in school, you'll find the French used in Quebec to be...a bit different. Accent threw me off completely.

You can get some of the atmosphere and food of Paris, and still comfortably use French if you need to. At a lot of stores, the people greet you with a "BonjourHello"

Ireland can be a fun place to visit. Then France.